Scanlon sentencing: Will a city official address the court?

Mayor Mark Lauretti said he is unsure if someone will speak on behalf of the city before Sharon Scanlon is sentenced for stealing money from the city.

Scanlon, Shelton’s former assistant finance director, is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 16 after pleading no contest to one count of both first-degree forgery and first-degree larceny in October.

Shelton’s former assistant finance director, Sharon Scanlon.

She had been accused of stealing $914,000 in city money over a decade, and originally was charged with 56 counts of first-degree forgery and one degree of first-degree larceny, all felonies.

Her plea covers the theft of about $478,000 from 2008 to 2012, due to the five-year statute of limitations.

Under the plea deal, Scanlon should be sentenced to 15 years in jail to be suspended after seven years, with a minimum of three years in jail. Once released from jail, she will be on probation for five years.

This means she should spend three to seven years in jail.

‘I’m not sure what it accomplishes’

Mayor Mark Lauretti

As the victim, the city of Shelton will be given the opportunity to have a representative address the count before Scanlon receives her sentence in state Superior Court in Milford.

Lauretti said the victim’s advocate for the court has been in touch with him. “They’ve reached out to me,” he said.

But he’s uncertain if he or someone else will appear in court to speak.

“I’m not sure at this point,” Lauretti said. “I’m not sure what it accomplishes. It’s an unfortunate event, but we have moved on — a long time ago.”

City has recovered some funds

The city now has collected $626,000 of the stolen funds from both Scanlon and insurance policies, according to the mayor.

The city is seeking additional restitution by filing a lawsuit against Scanlon and placing a lien against her Crescent Drive home.

Scanlon, a 49-year-old Shelton resident, resigned her city position in August 2012 and turned herself in to the State Police in January 2013. She remains free on $100,000 bond.